How do I get advice or treatment?
We accept self referrals or referrals made by your GP. We can also get recommendations from other professionals or insurance providers. Some people prefer not to involve their GP for various reasons and we will respect your choice. However if you are prescribed repeat prescriptions, we would advise that it is done through your GP.
What are your consultation fees?
Please visit our pricing page to do with pricing for more information. Prices vary depending on the treatment required. We do not offer free consultations but can offer a fifteen minute call back to answer your queries.
What happens once you get my referral?
Once we receive your referral we will contact you by phone within 5 working days to offer an appointment at a time that suits you. Let us know if you'd prefer to be contacted in an alternative way.
What happens at the initial consultation?
The initial consultation usually takes about an hour with a psychiatrist and a psychologist (or sometimes individually). We enquire about your history and current difficulties. This will include asking about any previous treatments, medication and events that may contribute to your current situation. After the assessment, we will provide you with an initial formulations and treatment recommendations.
What kind of treatment will I be offered?
You may be offered psychological therapy, medication, or both. You will be given adequate information to make the best choice. If we cannot provide the right treatment for you, we will give you information of alternative services.
Is there anything I should prepare?
You're welcome to bring a friend or relative with you if it would help. It may be useful to write down notes about your goals, questions, or any other detail ahead of your appointment. If relevant, please bring a list of your current medications and details of your GP.
Depending on your circumstances you will be offered psychological treatment (i.e. “talking” therapy), medication, or both. Your preferences will be taken into account and you’ll be given all the right information to make the best choice.
We will explain which treatments we can provide at Headspace, and be clear on the treatments we can’t. We can’t, for example, provide an out-of-hours emergency help-line service, and we cannot offer admission to hospital for people who need more intensive care than we can offer (e.g. people who are feeling suicidal). We will signpost you to emergency, crisis or hospital care if needed.
If you agree, we will write to your GP after our initial appointment so they are aware of the treatment plan. We routinely send a copy of this letter to you. If you do not wish your treatment with us to be communicated to the NHS or your GP, then let us know.
If you decide on having treatment with medication you will need to see a psychiatrist occasionally to monitor your progress. Any potential side-effects will be explained to you and you'll be offered written information on your treatment.
If your treatment includes medication it is important for your GP know in case it interacts with any other medication you may take. For some people it is more convenient or affordable to ask their NHS GPs to provide prescriptions for them. If you prefer not to involve your GP we can provide prescriptions directly, but private scripts may cost more to dispense than NHS prescriptions.
Everybody’s different and make changes according to their strengths. A typical course of psychological therapy is between 15-30 sessions. A session lasts an hour and is weekly or fortnightly. As part of therapy you may need to do some interventions in your own time. Effective psychotherapy takes time and commitment, but it is likely to have more enduring benefits to psychological problems than medication alone.
Some insurers limit the number of psychological sessions they will fund, so the funding for a course of therapy might sometimes fall short. You might have to fund a number of sessions another way, but if this happens we will work flexibly with you to make other arrangements.
If your insurer will not fund therapy and no other funding is available, we will, with your agreement, help your GP to make a referral to your local NHS psychological service.
If you want us to discuss your condition with either your family or anyone else then we will need your written permission to do so. In general, no information about you is disclosed or discussed with anyone other than you without your written permission. That includes family members or parents if you are over 18 years old.
We usually update your GP in writing on your treatment and progress, and any medication you may be prescribed. If you don’t want us to share information with your GP (or share only limited information) please let us know.
The general rule is that we will keep your information absolutely confidential unless we have your permission to talk or write to anyone else about you. There are a few exceptions to this (e.g. if we are concerned for your or other's safety). This is detailed in our Confidentiality Agreement which we will ask you to sign when we first meet.
Ask us a Question
Feel free to ask any physical therapy related questions over the phone, or get send your question via this form below. Your message will be dispatched directly to our staff who will answer as soon as they can.